souder



(No Model.) 3 Sheets- Sheet 1. J. J. SOUDER.

DUMPING GAR.

No. 371,224. I Patented'Oot. 11, 1887.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2;

J. J. SOUDER.

DUMPING GAR. No. 371324. Patented Oct. 11, 1887.

N. PETERS, PllmbLilhognpber. Washingkm D. C.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

J. J. SOUDER.

DUMPING GAR.

Patented Oct. 11'

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB J. SOUDER, OF WVASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

DUMPlNG-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,224, dated October 11, 1887.

application filed May 3,1887. Serial No. 237,276. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JACOB J. SOUDER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Dumping Car, of which the following is a description.

The invention relates to cars of the class which are commonly known as freight-cars or as burden-cars, and the invention consistsin certain novel parts and in certain novel combinations of parts inacar of this character, whereby the car may be used as a box-car for the transportation of ordinary miseellane ous package merchandise, and whereby the car may be readily convertible into an auto matic or self-discharging car for the conveyance of granular material in bulk, as will be hereinafter speeificallydeseribed and claimed.

In the drawings, Figurel is a top plan View of a car in which my invention is embodied,

the roof of the car being removed and the pivoted floor-sections being raised to their vertical or open position. vertical section on theline w wof Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is atransverse vertical section on the line at a: of Fig. 1, the parts being in adjustment for the discharge of granular material. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the central exterior portion of the car. Fig. 5 is a top plan, the roof being removed, as in Fig. 1, but showing the floor-sections as closed, and the figure being drawn to a reduced scale. Fig. 6 is a detail vertical section on the line 9 3 of Fig. 1, and showing the relation ofthe coveringshield to the parts which are protected by it. Fig. 7 is a top plan view representing a section of the drop-doors on an enlarged scale. Fig. 8 is a top plan representing a modified form of construction of the pivoted drop-doors or dropsections.

In the central portion of the car A, and.

Fig.2 is a longitudinal.

tions, A and A, complete the floor of the car as when required for ordinary merchandise.

\Vhen the car is to be used for the transportation of granular material in bulk, the hinged floor-sections A A. A A are raised to their vertical position, uncovering the secondary or grain door of the car, which, as will be lseen, consists of one or more hoppers, H, composed, preferably, of metallic sheets, which by their outer edges are attached, by nails or other suitable fastenings, to the bed-frame of the car. The hoppers H are each provided with lateral discharge-openings which are closable by doors hand h, which are oppositely pivoted by halfhingcs h at the central and lowest portion of the hopper. Upon the exterior of the hopper, and extending transversely of the car at either side of the discharge-openings, are attached the triangular hinged chute'wings I l, which are provided with a spring-bolt, i, and

one of which is provided, also, with a distance or limiting chain, 2''.

A truss bar, J, suitably secured to the bedframe of the car and bearing upon the cross frame tie timber or needle-beam K, extends longitudinally beneath and along the lowest portion of the hoppers at a point between the two coincident doors h and h, and is made of large dimensions to surely meet all the requirements of the situation.

Between the outer longitudinal SlllS,6L and a, and the intermediate longitudinal sills, a and (dare mounted the drums or windlassesCand C, the inner end of the bearing-shaft c of' which is journaled in bearings upon theintermediate sills, a a and the outer extremity of which, projecting through the inner portion of the outer sill, is provided with a squared end, to receive a suitable operatingwinch, and with a ratchet wheel, 0, which is secured by a pawl, 0*, which is pivoted to the car. A suitable cable or rope, 0 is attached by one extremity to an eyebolt, c, in the under surface of the intermediate sill, a or a, and is thence extended downwardly to and through a pulley, c in the door or drop-section h or it, thence upwardly to and through a pulley,c ,in

by its opposite extremity it is securely attached.

A self-closing door or shield, L, is attached to the body of the car by means of hinges Z Z, and is provided with a spring-bolt, Z, which in closing engages a recess, in, which is formed in the sill or in the exterior casing of the car, the whole serving to cover the outer portion of the bearing-shaft c and the ratchet-wheel and its pawl, and thus protect this important portion of the operating mechanism against injury through exposure to the weather, and also to secure it against manipulation by unauthorized persons. It will be apparent that if this door or shield L be hinged above the shaft 0, as in Fig. 6, it will be closablc by its own weight. If its hinge be placed vertically, a spring will be necessary to render it selfclosing. The continuous draw-bar N,between the intermediate longitudinal sills,tt and (4*, is protected from contact with the granular material contained in this hopper-like receptacle by a tubular inclosing-casing O, which is rigidlysecured in position, and which may be composed either of metal, wood, or other suitable material.

When the chute wings I and I are not re quired for use, they are swung backward against the body of the hopper, and are secured in this position by the engagement of the spring-bolt z of the wings with the catch 9' upon the hopper.

It will be noted that when one of the drop sections of the grain receptacle is open it forms, in connection with the opposite section,a continuous inclined plane extending from one side ot' the car to the other, upon which the grain 'bar J.

is directed by the inclination of the end portions of the tloor toward the center thereof, so that the entire mass of material is by its own gravity speedily discharged at the desired point upon either side of the ear.

It will be seen that both of the two doors or drop-sections h and h are pivotally connected to a longitudinallyarranged plate, H, which is secured by bolts h or equivalent means upon the flat upper surface ofthe truss- The plate H is upon each edge provided with aseries of knuckles, h, which alternate with a corresponding series of knuckles, h*, which are formed upon the half-hinges h", which, if desired, may themselves be of such dimensions as to constitute the entire door or drop section. A hinge -pin, it, extending through both series of knuckles from end to end of the dropsections, completes the con nection of the parts.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1.7A dumping-car for railways, which is provided with a sectional adjustable upper tloor for miscellaneous merchandise and with a lower floor l'or granular material, such-lower floor having inwardly-inclined sides and lateral discharge-openings, to which are connected sectional chutes, which, when in use, extend beyond the plane of the track-rails.

2. A dumping-car for railways, which is provided with an upper horizontal floor which comprises pivoted end sections and pivoted side sections, and with a lower hopper-shaped floor which has exterior pivoted wings and pivoted floor-sections, which, in conjunction with the wings, constitute discharge-chutes which extend beyond the exterior vertical line of the track-rails.

3. A dumping-car for railways, which is provided with pivoted floor-sections which are adjustable in a vertical or in a horizontal position, and which, when in place upon the bed-frame of the car, constitute a floor for general merchandise, and which is provided, also, with a hopper shaped floor underneath the bed-frame t'or granular material in bulk, such hopper-like floor having oppositelyplaced drop-sections, which, when grain is being discharged, constitute an inclined plane which extends across the car downwardly from the outer edge and upper extremity of the closed section to the outer edge of the open section.

4. A dumping-car for railways, which is provided with a receptacle for granular material, the bottom of which is below the bedframe of the car, and which has pivoted dropsections which are operated by a raising and lowering mechanism, the shaft of which has its bearings in the bed-frame of the car.

5. The door or drop-section h,pivoted to the lowest portion of the hopper-like fioor or receptacle H, and extending, when open, to a point outside the track-rail, in combination with the pivoted adjustable exterior chutewings, I and I, for the purposes set forth.

6. In a dumping-car for railways, a hopper-like receptacle underneath the bed-frame of the car, and provided with pivoted doors or drop sections, in combination with raising and lowering mechanism, the shaft of which projects to the outside of the car, and with a shield or door which covers and protects such shaft.

7. The combination, with the projecting bearing-shaft c, the ratchet-wheel c and the pawl a of the self-closing covering-shield or door L.

8. The combination, with the truss'bar J, of the longitudinally-arranged plate H, secured to such truss-bar, and the half-hinges h, carrying the doors or drop-sections h h, substantially as described.

9. In a dumping-car for railways, provided 'with a receptacle for granular material, the

door of which is below the bed-frame of the car, a continuous drawbar which extends through such receptacle from end to end thereof, and which is provided with a fixed protecting-casing.

JACOB J. SOUDER. 

